Cleaner for refrigeration apparatus



April 5, 1955 T. L. UHLMAN 2,705,405

CLEANER FOR REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 LLED VAPOR 007' 7'0 COMP. 6UTION SILICA EL Pl/M'MSD HETAL c0vR METAL $CRE'EI/ FRO/1 CO/VP. DI SC- HOTGAS IN con/05 550 LIQUID 007' T0 #07 qws L/NE n5 TA 1. SCREEN CL 0 TH STEM/NE)? EPANDEIJ 17E TAL- SUPPOR'T NCHED H578 Inventor moms L. uumw Allorney United States Patent CLEANER FOR REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Thomas L. Uhlman, Springfield, Ill. Application December 16, 1949, Serial No. 133,310 1 Claim. (Cl. 62-117.85)

The present invention relates to a cleaner for refrigeration apparatus and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

Generally there is provided an apparatus which may be connected into a refrigerating system, for example, a compressor-condenser-expander system, and which will operate to clean the entire system. Adaptor blocks are provided for connecting the apparatus to the inlet and outlet sides of a compressor and a further adaptor block is provided to be substituted for the conventional expansion valve to allow for free flow of refrigerant through the refrigerating system. The apparatus utilizes the conventional refrigerant and forces the same through the system in liquid form, a heat exchanger being provided 1in the apparatus to effect the change from a gas to a iquid.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the character set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet effective and efficient in use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a cleaning apparatus which may be quickly and easily connected into a refrigerating system.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in an apparatus of the character set forth, of novel heat exchanging unit forming a part of the invention.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel filter forming a part of the invention.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel adaptor block forming a part of the invention.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1-a is an enlarged sectional view taken along line la-la of Figure 1,

Figure 2 is a schematic view illustrating the invention as connected into a conventional compressor-condenser-expander system of refrigeration, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of an adaptor block forming a part of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a refrigeration system including a compressor having a suction inlet 11 and a discharge outlet 12. A condenser 13 is provided and discharges into a receiver 14 which, in turn, is connected to an adaptor block 16 forming a part of the present invention, by a pipe 15. The block 16 takes the place of the conventional expansion valve. An evaporator 17 is connected by means of a pipe 18 with an adaptor block 19, also forming a part of the present invention, and the condenser 13 is connected by means of a pipe 20 with an adaptor block 21, likewise forming a part of the present invention and which is connected with the discharge side 12 of the compressor.

A pipe 22 interconnects the adaptor block 19 wlth a valve 23 mounted in the upper end of a cleaning apparatus, generally indicated at 24, and a pipe 25 interconnects the adaptor block 19 with a fitting 26 fitted into the upper end of the side of the cleaning apparatus 24.

A hot gas pipe 27 interconnects the discharge slde 12 of the compressor with the fitting 28 in the lower '31. The filter is 2,705,405 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 side of the apparatus 24 and a condensed liquid pipe 29 interconnects the block 21 and a fitting 30 at the lower side of the apparatus 24.

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be seen that the apparatus 24 comprises a cover 31 wherein is mounted the valve 23 and that the cover 31 is affixed to the upper end of a container 32 by means of bolts 33 or the like.

A filter generally indicated at 34 is provided with flanged upper edges 35 which are adapted to be clamped between the upper edge of the body 32 and the cover constructed of an expanded metal sup port 36 which forms an outer layer of a laminated construction next to which is provided a metal screen 37 and, next inwardly from the screen, there is provided a cloth strainer 38 and, finally, a punched metal liner 39. The filter 34 is adapted to contain silica gel, as indicated at 40.

A heat exchanging tube nest 41 is mounted in the lower end of the container 32 and has its ends 43 and 44 respectively connected with the fittings 28 and 30. A vertically mounted sight glass 45 is provided at one side of the container 32 for determining the liquid level within the container such as shown, for example, at 46.

One of the adaptor blocks is illustrated in Figure 3 and it will be seen that it is provided with a body 21 having a pair of passages 47 and 48 extending therethrough, which passages are respectively provided with fittings 49 and 50.

In operation, it will be apparent that, when it is desired to clean a refrigerating system such as that illustrated in Figure 2, it is only necessary to connect the adaptor blocks to the intake and discharge sides 11 and 12 of the compressor 10 and, after exhausting the system of air and also substituting the adaptor block 16 for the conventional expansion valve, it is only nec' essary to start the compressor whereupon hot gas from the compressor will be moved through the discharge side 12, thence through the pipe 27 into the fitting 28, thence through the heat exchanging tube nest 41 and outwardly as a liquid through the fitting 30 to the pipe 29 whereupon it will be led through the block 21 into the condenser and thence to the receiver 14 from which it will pass through the pipe 15 and through the block 16 and evaporator 17 through a pipe 18 through the block 19 to a pipe 22 and thence to the valve 23 where it will be discharged into the container 32 first passing through the filter 34 which will remove any impurities from the liquid and allow the liquid to pass downwardly into the bottom of the container. The sight glass 45 may be used for noting the particular liquid level 46 at any given time. It will be understood that as hot gas comes from the compressor 27 it will be converted again into a liquid by means of the exchanger 41 and that, hence, liquid will be passed through the refrigeration system at all times. It will also be understood that as the gas of the exchanger 41 is converted into a liquid, that the liquid in the bottom of the container will be converted into a gas and pass out through the fitting 26 into the pipe 25 whence it will be led through the block 19 into the intake side of the compressor to again be compressed into a hot gas and treated as aforesaid.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many minor forms of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination with a refrigerating system including, in series, a compressor, a condenser, a receiver, and an evaporator, of a cleaning container having a filter and a heat exchanger therein, a valve in the upper end of the container, means placing the inlet side of the compressor in fluid communication with the valve, means for connecting the discharge side of the compressor with the heat exchanger, means for connecting the evaporator with the valve, and means for connecting the condenser with the heat exchanger, said filter comprising a laminated body having an inner layer of punched metal, a cloth strainer adjacent the outer side of the inner layer,

metal screen outwardly of the cloth strainer, and an UNITED STATES PATENTS Kramer Oct. 8, 1918 4 Bell Mar. 15, 1927 Beline Dec. 3, 1940,. Brinkoeter Sept. 21, 1948 Obreiter Feb. 8, 1949 Dawson Apr. 18, 1950 Wenk Dec. 11, 1951 

